Howard was born July 26th 1930. Gloria was born on March 27th 1942. Th ey were married on July 12th 1966. Howard & Gloria ran a thoroughbre d farm on 7/7/22 from 1966 until they retired to live in Souris in 199 5. Howard and Gloria raised many fine thoroughbred horses that establi shed their farm as one of Manitoba's most successful. Many of their st allions' progeny are still prominent in thoroughbred racing.PLAC: MAP LATI N49.5118 LONG W100.4906 LATI N49.8333 LONG W99.95 LATI N49.6167 LONG W100.25 LATI N49.5118 LONG W100.4906 LATI N49.5118 LONG W100.4906

Death Notes:

Address: Brandon General HospitalBrandon, MB Canada

Burial Notes:

Address: Rosewood Memorial GardensBrandon, Manitoba Canada

Noted events in his life were:

• Occupation: Leather Tooling and Carving since, 1940. 2 Mentieth, Glenwood, Manitoba, CanadaIn the 1930's the church ladies of the Forbes District decided to emba rk on learning the craft of leather work. They ordered supplies and l earned about how to create some small projects. Howard, a young boy a t the time, was brought along to meetings, and oddly enough, the class es made a lasting impression on him. After his devastating accident i nvolving his leg and its partial amputation, he had about a year at ho me in recovery. During this time he became interested in the leathe r work, and showed himself talented making belts, purses, wallets, an d the like. Now, in his retirement, he is actively pursuing this onc e again, and has received many pleasurable hours from it.

Howard Russell McBurney was my uncle, my mother's brother. He wa s born to Russell and May McBurney of Glenwood Municipality, Souris Di strict Manitoba July 26, 1930. Born right at the beginning of the Dirt y Thirties, he was introduced to a lifestyle that required hard work a nd dedication for success. He was a real Prairie Man. He had a brother , Les and a sister, Eileen, and yet to come was his younger brother Ke ith in 1936. His Buckley grandparents lived down the road, and variou s McBurney aunts, uncles, and cousins were scattered throughout the di strict.

His Mom, May McBurney was a skilled farm woman, hard-working, communit y-minded, and always thinking of the next chore or goal that needed at tention. As a little boy he liked to play in the back kitchen no doub t while his mother cooked at the wood stove or did the wash with the b ig, white ringer washer. He would wait for his big brother and siste r to arrive home from Forbes School less than a mile away. They ofte n found him playing with trucks and tractors in the sand that had sift ed in during a dry, windy day.

One day the family was off to Buckleys and it was time to get in the b uggy. Mom asked Howard, "Where are your shoes?" "I don't know." Off th ey went. Later Howard confided to my mother: "I know where they are: T hey're in the pig pen." I don't think those shoes were ever worn again .

One busy day as my grandmother worked at the kitchen sink she glance d up and out at a familiar sight, the red hip-roofed barn. But look ag ain at an unfamiliar addition! There was young and adventurous Howar d walking like a circus performer across the top of the barn. I wonde r if this problem was resolved by silence or panicked cries from the p orch.

Howard was often seen with an animal whether it be cattle, chickens, d ogs, pigs or horses, but the horses would become his passion: Horses f or tending cattle, for going to school, for learning the lay of the la nd, and later for riding like an English gentleman, for hunting and ju mping, or maybe even racing. He rode nearly every day.

He was great friends with Morlie Laughland, and the two of them woul d camp overnight at the river pretending they were cowboys. Other frie nds were the kids of Carl and Dorothy Scharff, neighbors just minute s away.

When I visited the big farmhouse as a little girl, I liked to play wit h dolls and kittens in the sunny front veranda. This was Howard's bedr oom for the summer. The walls would be covered with rows of ribbons, t he colors of the rainbow. First Place, Second Place. These were all aw ards for his horse training and riding abilities at the local fairs. W as he good? He was more than good.

As a young man now he was ready to embark on a life of his own. But li fe threw him some curves at this point. While watering cows in the nor theast pasture one evening, he decided to ride Ginger Sue home instea d of walking. But on that day she was having nothing to do with him . Bucked off in the twinkling of an eye he was injured and helpless o n the ground, far from the ears of family. His leg had sustained a com pound fracture, and sadly, the result was amputation and an artificia l limb. What now? Family and friends gave their support. My mother sp ent a lot of time with him. He learned to cope. Gloria relates that Ho ward never used his disability as an excuse for not doing things. If f act he could often run faster than she could. I recall the strong musc les he had in his upper body.

Part of this rehabilitation time was spent applying himself to a new i nterest that he was to become a master at. It was the craft of leathe r working and tooling. Howard created objects that were beyond compar e in their workmanship. Many members of the family received beautifu l gifts from him as the years went by. In his retirement he develope d a mini-business called Candleshoe Leather. Traveling to local farmer 's markets, craft fairs and horse shows he sold belts, wallets, purses , and key fobs. He also knew how to repair horse tack such as bridle s and reins.

Soon Howard was back to the business of fulfilling his dream of makin g a career of horses. A beautiful, gentle horse named Brigadoon carrie d him to new heights. He loved this horse, and the horse loved him bac k. About this time he met Bert and Eileen Blake. Bert was a true horse man and became a mentor and teacher for Howard. Eileen was a wonderfu l rider. With Howard's training and dedication, and Eileen's riding ab ilities, Brigadoon became a champion. A lifelong friendship with the B lakes was forged as well.

Later, in the summer of 1966 when he married Gloria Knight of Erikson , Manitoba he was set to share and establish the dreams and passions o f a life working with horses. Together they turned their skills and t alents toward breeding, raising, and boarding thoroughbred horses. I t was hard work, and there weren't many examples to follow. Stallion s such as Northern Hawk, Main Debut, Lend Lease, and The Knack were ke y in raising the business to another level altogether. Now the world o f horse racing, registered blood lines, and making deals with big mone y came to the fore. Soon they were building paddocks, tailoring the ba rn stables for horses, putting up hay and straw, and tending mares fro m conception to the birth of their foals. These lovely animals were li ke children. They received copious amounts of attention that all becam e part of the quality package Howard and Gloria offered. Howard was a n excellent judge of the quality of a horse, and had no fear when trai ning them. Gloria was adept at formulating deals that clients would ac cept. They met with clients any time of the week, often on weekends . Horses began to win at the racetrack, horses that they had nurtured . It was very rewarding and satisfying. Due to their consistent effor ts, high standards, and blossoming expertise they became one of the be st thoroughbred horse breeders in Manitoba, obtaining many accolades a nd awards.

During these years two other very wonderful things happened. Their tw o children, Leisa and Sean were born. Both have become talented peopl e of integrity, dedicated to their chosen professions, and committed t o right living. And yes, both Sean and Leisa love horses too.

In my summer visits to Manitoba, my uncles Howard and Keith were ver y special. I eagerly awaited their arrival at meal times, and was alwa ys a bit sad when they had to go back out to work. Howard had a serie s of cars, but my favourite was the 1959 Dodge Royal. When I was a we e girl, I used to suck my thumb, and as added comfort I liked to carr y a pair of my silky underwear. I had tucked a pair into the glove com partment in case I needed them. Some time later one of Howard's date s discovered them. Oops! I don't imagine he had too difficult a time e xplaining them away.

In another life Howard might have been the owner of a gentleman's clot hing store. He loved to dress-up, and looked mighty smart and snappy w hen he did so. You would often find him drinking a cup of coffee, stay ing up late, refusing pepper, but loving salt, out doing the summer fa llowing, slathering butter on sandwiches, relishing Gloria's cooking a nd baking, playing solitaire or saying, "Well, wouldn't that frost ya? " Good friends over the years were Don and Anne Scarff and Allan and V alerie Matheson. If you were listening to Howard tell a story he was l ikely to say, "Well anyway…" and at the same time be twirling a napkin , tapping a fork, or tinkering as Sean would say. He often procrastina ted about things. Just as someone would be ready to set out on the roa d he'd be under the vehicle changing the oil. In his later years he lo ved collecting Noritake china and choice pieces of antique furniture.

The last year or so brought an increasing decline in his health. "Popp a," as his grand daughter Abigail called him, was diagnosed with intes tinal cancer. He never gave in to it. Gloria was steadfast in her supp ort and care. There were endless consultations, test, treatments, an d time spent waiting for answers. He remained much more upbeat tha n I imagined my own self being.

This spring when my sister, Heather, and I visited Howard and Gloria , we went to Brandon and ended up at a shopping mall. Malls being mall s, Gloria rented a motorized scooter for him. He was like a kid wit h a new toy. Not too sure what to do at first, but soon in complete c ontrol. By the time we all met up for lunch, Howard was scooting thi s way and that, turning around, coming back and taking off again.

Short days ago he was hoping to gain more time for life by having anot her surgery. But it was not to be. Essentially a private and rather co nservative man, he had a streak of the dare devil about him. Many part s of his life were challenging, but many aspects were also truly goo d and rewarding. Like all of us, perfection was unattainable, but wit h help from family, friends, some special animals, and that indescriba ble mystery of life of deep inner faith his life was shared in signifi cant ways with all of us. May we keep many memories of him that lit hi s path, and may guide ours too.

• Occupation: Thoroughbred Horse Breeder, Between 1960 and 1990. Mentieth, Glenwood, Manitoba, CanadaHoward and Gloria built their horse-breeding business from the groun d up, and made it one of the most successful operations in Manitoba . They were honored many times with awards for their dedication and e xcellence in their endeavours.

Howard married Gloria Jean Knight, daughter of George Knight and Daisy Jacobs.